There's no Skillet without The Rolling Stones

Josh Kinghorn, 8th Jun 2021
Tags: Music Blog Skillet Rock

I hold a certain belief that within the history of music that if one thing was different, one song not written, one artist changing genre, then the entire concept of popular music we know today would be so drastically changed.

Of course, it isn’t actually as simple as I’ve made it out to be in the title here and I’m sure many music historians will probably say how ridiculous the concept of pinning one thing to be responsible for a plethora of genres, artists and whatnot. A chain of events that’s missing a link either gets lost or gets longer, and one of the biggest links when it comes to rock and metal is the “invention” of the distorted guitar.

It isn’t actually clear who the definitive inventor of the concept is, but many people seem to agree that the first deliberate attempt was in 1956 credited to Johnny Burnette's Rock 'n Roll Trio. Link Wray came in two years later claiming to have stabbed a hole in his speaker for recording of his track “Rumble”. However in 1962 Gibson began marketing a product known as the Maestro Fuzz-Tone, invented by an engineer by the name of Glen Snoddy, and this would be the first known example of a guitar pedal.

A new industry in guitar effects was born.

It was this pedal that was picked up by a guitarist called Keith Richards who played for a group called The Rolling Stones. With their success worldwide and Keith Richards using this gritty pedal, a new industry in guitar effects was born.

Why is this relevant and what does it have to do with Skillet? Well, can you imagine their track “Rise Up” without any distortion on it? 

Since the 60s the manipulation of guitar sounds I dare say has been a multi-billion pound industry and has always been searching for new ways and sounds to inspire artists and audiences alike. The use of effects can drastically alter the perception of any track ever written and it is arguable that many would not have anywhere near the same impact without the very effects that define them.